Without Her
by MimicPlus
Summary: DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE READ ALLEGIANT It has been one year since Tris died, and Tobias is struggling to get through his life without her. He and Christina lean on each other to get through their grief, but things become complicated when a new girl from the fringe goes after Tobias-a new girl who isn't who she says she is. Rated T for character death, nothing else!
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Tobias

I see her everywhere.

I see her face in the passing stranger who shares her nose. Her power, her bravery, her fearlessness in the trains that once again patrol the city, slowed by no outside force.

Her love in the curve of the horizon, stretching out farther than I can comprehend.

The world is so much bigger than I once thought it was. So big, and so cruel.

It's been a year now. A year and a month. I thought it was getting easier, for a while-but now each day is a struggle. Everything I do reminds me of her-of Tris. She was one of the few good things in my life. I am full of memories of her now, and of a bitter sadness that I cannot have more than memories.

I've taken to coming here, to the top of the Hub. Christina worries about me, in her Candor way, but I am restless anywhere else. I lose focus before I gain it. And besides, I feel closer to her here.

I stand and walk to the edge, forcing myself to look straight down and not move back. I stand like this for another hour, unmoving, remembering her, before I have to leave to meet Christina.

By now Evelyn has grown accustomed to me leaving for hours without explanation. When I walk in, she doesn't even ask where I've been, only if I'm alright. I lie and tell her yes, I'm fine, but I have to leave now. I'm not exactly sure why I came here first-I'm meeting Christina halfway between her apartment and mine; it would have been faster to go straight there from the Hub.

I run into my room as if I stopped in to get something, then leave. When I reach our meeting place, an intersection of two streets bordering the Abnegation sector of Chicago, I see that Christina hasn't arrived yet. I lean against the building behind me and stare at the masses of people walking the streets. Chicago used to be so small, compacted-but now I see so many people, all going about their lives, thinking different things, not fully acknowledging the people around them.

As they walk by, I find myself falling into my familiar habit of sorting people into factions. That man I would recognize as Amity from a mile away, that girl couldn't be anything but Erudite, she's Abnegation, he's Dauntless . . . I used to think time would eventually erase the factions I see in the world around me, but it hasn't. Everyone I know, even if they're from the fringe and have never known factions, has to belong somewhere. The ones I can't sort I avoid. They remind me of Tris.

I look up, and see Christina jogging up the street. She's wearing tight jeans and a red shirt-while the factions are still prevalent in my mind, I've gotten used to the mixed colors people wear by now. "Where are we going?" I ask her in greeting. She'd only said when and where to meet her, and by now I'd given up protesting that I didn't need to go anywhere, I just went wherever she told me to meet her without question.

Lately Christina has come to feel almost like an overprotective sister of sorts. She's always checking in on me, making sure I'm alright. At times it can be annoying, but at the same time I'm grateful for her. While we both know I won't attempt the memory serum again-I know now that I can't forget Tris-without her I would spend all my time alone with my thoughts, away from everyone. Christina makes sure I get out and do things. I think it's easier to talk to her, too, because she knows-to some extent-what I'm feeling. She was very close with Tris, and she also lost Will and Uriah.

"I was thinking we could go to the Council meeting tonight. They'll be discussing what to do about the people coming in from the fringe, if we should put limits on that, and I thought they could use your insight, since you've been there and all. Frankly, I think we should just let them come. Those people out there-they're really hurting." She stops her explanation there, even though she would usually go on, and gives me somewhat of a searching look, and I smile a little to let her know that I'm okay, the pain hasn't consumed me yet.

The Council is the branch inside the city of what was formerly known as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare but now monitors the city of Chicago. I haven't been to a meeting, and I don't know how Christina got me invited. Her excuse-that I've been outside of Chicago before-really is pretty weak, especially since I was only really out in the fringe area once. I'm fairly sure she just needed a reason to get me out of the apartment.

"Sure, I'll come. Lead the way."

She gives me a hesitant look, as if she is about to say something else, but then turns and begins walking the way she had come. Christina's been quieter lately. She used to be just what you'd expect from a Candor: loud, somewhat insensitive, and, for the most part, overwhelmingly irritating. Now, after Tris's death, she has become a much more thoughtful, caring person. Or maybe she's always been that way, and I just haven't looked past her faction or gotten to know her well enough to notice.

The Council meeting is in Erudite headquarters. I should have expected it, that's where most formal events occur, but it holds so many memories for me. First, of a time when I thought Tris had died, and then when we were forced to live there with the factionless guarding us under Evelyn's command.

Christina grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze, sending me an apologetic look. I let her guide me through the building. There are some people milling about, but not many. We follow a series of twists and turns until we end up in a large room with a long table in the middle. Several people are seated around it, but not all the chairs are filled yet.

I have never been in this part of the building before. In a way, that makes it easier, because I can imagine I am somewhere else even with the cool, efficient style of the Erudite. But I still catch myself wondering if Tris had ever been in this room, if I am standing where she stood, if she looked at these walls at some time in the past.

After about ten minutes, when most of the chairs are filled, the talk settles down. I am not too surprised to see Johanna Reyes, former spokesperson of Amity, stand to lead the meeting.

I eventually lose track of the conversation and stop trying to pay attention. I stare at the sharp corner of one of the practical steel chairs as the discussion continues. I am vaguely aware that Christina contributes some, but I don't focus on what she says. Soon I feel eyes on me. I look up to see someone staring back at me-a girl, a little younger than I am, who sits in the chair I've been staring at.

As soon as she notices me, the girl looks away, a bit to hastily, letting her dark hair fall in front of her face as she listens intently to whatever it is that Johanna is saying. I am not fooled, however-the way she immediately turned away, as if afraid of getting caught, seemed to me that she wasn't just giving me a casual glance. And the look in her eyes-as if she had lost something she loved deeply and knew it could never be replaced. She is breathing quickly.

I will be seeing this girl again.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Christina

Tobias is quiet when I walk him back to the apartment he shares with Evelyn. He didn't seem very focused during the meeting; I'm fairly sure he was thinking more about Tris than issues with immigrants from the fringe.

He copes with his grief by being alone and thinking. I talk, think about something else, to hide the sadness with words and forget momentarily. He should spend more time having fun and living his life, and I need to come to terms with my emotions. I'm trying to help him get out more, but I don't know if it's helping him any. I can't hold us up forever; we need to get through this.

When we get to his apartment, we make plans for tomorrow. I explain how Zeke and Shauna and I were planning on hanging out with a group of Zeke's friends from the fringe. "Do you want to come? I don't know where we're going, exactly, but it should be fun," I say.

I can tell that Tobias would rather not come, but I think he knows it's good for him. "Okay. I'll see you at Zeke's tomorrow, then?"

"Sure," I say. As I leave, it occurs to me what a strange relationship we have. Brought together by death. Others might think we're dating, or something like that, but in reality we are only grieving together. I have a feeling we always will be.

The next day, I sit with my little sister before I leave for Zeke's. She cuts something from a piece of paper, a project for school. One that I don't remember doing, because I never did it. The school system has changed since the factions were erased, and my sister is one of the first to experience the transformations.

She interrupts my thoughts. "You aren't acting like yourself. Something's bothering you. What is it?" She gets right to the point. She always does, just like everyone else from my old faction.

I am surprised, though, that neither my mom or my sister have said anything until now. "I guess I'm just missing Tris," I say. It sounds so inconsequential when I say it like that. I suspect all of the problems in the world could be rephrased to sound like simple issues with simple solutions. But everything is important to someone, and life isn't that easy.

I leave and walk to Zeke's house. I'm not sure who's going to be there; I haven't met some of his friends from the fringe. He knows most of them through his job with the police, I think, he's been helping some people move in.

I knock and then push open the door. I'm a little early, but there are several people already crowded into the small living room. Some I recognize: Zeke, or course, and Shauna; as well as some people from the fringe that I know by sight through Zeke. There are a few new faces, too. Tobias isn't here yet.

I walk in and sit on the arm of the couch, next to Delia, a new girl from the fringe who could pass as a former Dauntless. Her hair is bright pink, and I've seen her around a few times before. She lives in what used to be the factionless part of Chicago, in one of the homes that the Abnegation have rebuilt.

"Hey Zeke!" someone calls, a boy in the corner that I haven't seen before. He reminds me of Will. "When are we going?"

"_Where_ are we going?" asks Delia, the question I'd like to have answered.

Zeke and the boy who reminds me of Will grin at each other, but the others seem as clueless as I feel.

"You'll just have to wait and see," says Zeke, teasing. "We'll wait a little longer, to make sure everyone who wants to come gets to."

I stand to walk across the room and lean against the far wall, where I can survey the room. There are only three people here whose names I don't know: the boy I noticed earlier, a small, cheerful-looking girl talking with Shauna, and another girl that I recognize from yesterday's meeting with the Council. She has shoulder-length dark brown hair and deep-set brown eyes that take on an intense look. At the moment, though, she looks relaxed as she laughs with the group around her. For a moment, she catches me looking at her and holds my gaze. Her smile fades a little and she looks as if she is about to say something, but then she turns away and continues her conversation.

Later, after Tobias and a few others arrive, the group of us leaves, chasing each other through the streets. It turns out that Zeke's big surprise is zip lining from the Hancock Building, something more exciting for the newcomers than for me, honestly, because I've done it before. I hang back, standing by the edge as first one, then another from the fringe go flying down the cable.

The new girl whose name I don't know comes and stands by me. I wonder briefly why she isn't more interested in zip lining. She doesn't seem to be afraid of it, or at least, if she is, she's excellent at hiding it if she can get past me.

"Christina?" she asks. I am nervous for a moment-why does she know my name?-but then I remember that she was at the Council meeting yesterday, she would have heard it there.

"What do you want?" I ask, then wish I hadn't snapped-she didn't do anything wrong, I'm just a little edgy lately.

"Is-I mean . . . " She trails off. For someone who looked so confident earlier, she sure isn't now.

She begins again, a little more sure of herself. "Hi. I'm Mariah. I'm new here, I . . . just moved here from the fringe."

"You make friends fast," I say, because it's true. She was invited to the Council meeting, which isn't usually open to strangers, and now she's here; I wonder how Zeke met her.

"Yeah, I guess," she says, and her eyes drift away for a moment. "Anyway. I just wanted to ask you, about-" She nods to the other side of the building, where Tobias stands, staring over the edge.

"You want to know about _Four_?" I ask her, half incredulous, half wondering why I'm talking to this girl. I start to form some sort of response that will let her know she shouldn't be going after Four, he's grieving, and all that, but she interrupts me.

"No-well, just, how is he doing? He seems upset, is all." I raise my eyebrows at her, and she adds hastily, "Look, Chris, I'm just good at reading people, and I was just wondering. That's okay, if you don't want to say, I just . . . thought you would."

Mariah walks over and jumps into the zip line sling as if she wasn't just being completely nosy. I walk back down the stairs with Tobias instead of zip lining. I need to think.

One thing I am sure of: I do not like this girl. She is hiding something.


	3. Chapter 3

Tobias

I am sitting on the edge of my bed, elbows on my knees, staring at the floor, when I hear a knock at the door. Evelyn is out, so I get up to answer it.

I open the door and Christina stands there. I let her in, and we go to the living room to talk.

She starts right in, saying, "No offense or anything, Tobias, but I think you need to do something. Like, get a job somewhere." She pauses for a minute, looks at me to see what I think. I don't reveal anything, so she goes on. "'Cause I just think it would be good, you know. I talked to Zeke, and he said-"

I cut her off. "No, Christina. I've told you, I'm done with fighting. I won't work with the police." Things are more peaceful now, but I know there are still times when Zeke has to hold off people trying to come in from the fringe. Chicago is strict about newcomers; everyone has to be registered with the Council. I don't want to be the person denying those people their dreams, much less with a gun in my hand.

"No - I know, I understand that. But I was thinking maybe you could help get people settled in, some sort of place away from the fighting. Zeke found a position like that you could take, if you wanted."

"Alright," I say. "I'll do it." I know that, despite the casual way she presents it, Christina won't take no for an answer on this one. Besides, the Abnegation in me wants to help the people I saw in my brief visit to the fringe, and it'll give me something to do rather than sit around relying on Christina to make my day interesting.

-  
And just like that, I have a job.

I guess Christina really wouldn't have let me say no, because she already had everything arranged with Zeke. When we went over to his apartment, he was all ready to explain what the job would be like, and it sounded like the two of then had already accepted it for me.

So now here I am.

I am stationed in one of the factionless parts of Chicago where people have recently moved in. I'm basically just here to help keep the peace, which Zeke informed me won't be difficult, and answer any questions people have. I've been given a list of where certain buildings are located, dates of new arrivals to neighborhoods near here, and other information that the immigrants might want.

As I am walking down the street, I think of how I would feel if I were here and Tris hadn't died, if she were at home or helping out in some other part of the city. I would miss her, I know I would. But I would be able to go home and see her after I finished here.

Then I realize something. If Tris were alive, she wouldn't be somewhere else in the city.

She would be here with me.

-  
I walk around the section I've been assigned for a few hours more. On occasion I catch glimpses of people inside their new homes, setting out the few possessions they brought from the fringe and making use of the things that came with the homes, furniture and such.

Not one person comes out to ask a question.

At first, I don't think anything of it, but then, as I am rounding a corner, I see two children who were playing quietly in their yard rush inside at the sight of me. I pay closer attention, and see similar occurrences all around me.

A man walking down the street turns down an alley before he gets near me. Curtains are drawn tight over windows which lock with a snap. Arguing voices from within one of the houses grow quiet as I walk by.

These people are afraid of me.

I can understand why: for years, the people in the fringe had learned to avoid soldiers or anyone from the government. The people were looked down on because their genes were considered "damaged." Why should it be any different here, in a city where an experiment to solve the very issue of damaged genes was conducted?

I was told my genes were damaged. It took a lot of convincing from Tris for me to believe that there wasn't anything wrong with me, and I had just been introduced to the concept. I wonder what it's like for these people who've been told for as long as they can remember that they are worth less than people considered genetically pure.

I wonder how many of them believe it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for the reviews, everybody! I love knowing there are people out there reading this. Here's another chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Divergent or any of these characters**.

Christina

As I walk home from Zeke's, I hope I did the right thing. I really think this could help Tobias. When I talked to Zeke about finding Tobias a job, he had sounded as if it would be difficult to find something for him that didn't involve fighting. He didn't seem to have too much trouble finding this one, though.

I find myself missing Tris almost as much as Tobias seems to. Her death came as such a shock, but it really should not have. After all, we were all in almost constant danger.

I guess she just started to seem kind of invincible to me. Throughout everything, Tris was always there. The challenges of initiation, and then when Will died, once I forgave her. She stayed strong when her parents died for her, and then when Caleb betrayed her. When life was hard, I could always go to Tris.

But now I can't.

I go to Dauntless headquarters the next day. I practice with a gun in the shooting range, but I spend most of my time not actually shooting, just thinking.

The shooting range is a good place to think. There weren't many people in Dauntless headquarters, and I have the room to myself for a little over half an hour.

But when someone does come, it's Mariah.

"Christina!" she exclaims, like we're all of the sudden best friends since she met me two days ago.

"Hi," I say, looking at her. She seems less tense than she was when we talked on the Hancock Building the other day.

"I've been looking for you; Zeke said you might be here. Mind if I practice with you?"

"Go ahead." Mariah gets a gun from a shelf in the corner. It's a type I haven't used before. As she gets set up, I turn and shoot twice at my target. The first bullet lands a bit to the left, but the second is almost dead center.

I hear a gunshot, and I panic for a moment, then see the new bullet hole in the middle of Mariah's target. Why am I so antsy? I don't know why I have such little trust for this girl.

She shoots a few more times. I watch as each bullet goes straight into the hole left by the first one. Some widen it a little, but not by much.

"Wow. You can shoot." I'm impressed. I wonder what else this girl can do.

"Yeah. I had to learn, where I'm from," Mariah says, a touch of sadness in her voice. I know that I will never be able to fully understand the life in the fringe, or what it's like transitioning from that to Chicago.

Almost against my will, I feel myself beginning to feel sorry for Mariah. I still don't fully trust her, but I could give her a chance.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Nothing important, really," she says, adjusting her stance. "I guess I just wanted something to do, and I remembered you." This strikes me as odd. I don't know why she would have come looking for me instead of one of the other Dauntless - one who was friendlier to her, I think a little guiltily.

"Alright. Do you want to go do something?" I smile at her, and she looks relieved.

"Yes. I do."

I have a lot of fun with Mariah. More than I would have expected. We went to all sorts of new restaurants and shops all over Chicago. It was really nice to do something just because it was fun. It helped take my mind off Tris.

I caught myself laughing quite a few times, more than I have in a while. Mariah seemed to be enjoying herself, too. She was so relaxed the whole time, just focused on the present. Just based off the couple days I've known her, she can seem like two different people sometimes.

As we're walking out of our last shop - a Dauntless-style clothing store where we each bought a few new shirts - Mariah says, "Can we do something like this again? I want to see everything there is to see here! And hang out with you, too," she adds. I laugh.

"Sure, that sounds good. When were you thinking?"

"Well, I have to work most of tomorrow . . . Does Friday afternoon work?"

"Okay," I say. I make a mental note not to spend so much next time - I was thinking of saving up for my own place, just from the odd jobs I've been doing. I told Tobias to get a regular job, but I'm not ready for that yet.

Mariah stops where a side street meets the one we're on. Her home must be that way. She asks, "Do you live in the old Candor sector of Chicago?"

"What makes you think I'd live there?" I feel myself getting defensive again.

"Zeke said something about you being Candor before the rebellion, and I know what Chicago used to be like, with the factions." She says this casually, but I notice that she stands unusually still. Her hands are unmoving, positioned carefully.

"Alright," I say, letting it go for now. "Yeah, I live over there with my mom and sister. But why don't we just meet at our first stop? It would be easier." We decide to meet at the tattoo parlor where Tori worked.

Mariah turns down the street and I continue towards my apartment. As I lug my purchases along, I decide to give Mariah a chance. She doesn't seem to be telling the truth all the time, but maybe she just has a secret she doesn't want anyone to know about.

That's why I left Candor - because I didn't want to have to reveal my secrets to everyone during initiation. I shouldn't expect Mariah to reveal anything to me, a complete stranger.

**Please review - criticism welcome! Read on to discover Mariah's secret!**


	5. Chapter 5

**First, let me just say that I am SO sorry I haven't updated in so long! I was busy with finals, then when I tried to come back this story just seemed too repetitive (After four chapters - uh-oh). I started another story and have ideas for a few more, so hopefully that will be enough variety to keep me interested in writing these! I also made a goal to update at least one and hopefull two chapters per day for the rest of winter break. (Total, though - not per story) So, anyway, here's chapter five! **

Tobias

I wake up to my alarm Thursday morning. I am momentarily confused, but I soon remember that I have a morning shift at my new job.

I sit up, shaking off dreams of Tris. They were pleasant, this time - memories of her smiling, climbing the Ferris wheel, training during initiation. Sometimes I have nightmares about her, and more than once I have awoken screaming her name.

I walk past the street I watched yesterday. I'm assigned to a different area today; we're helping move in a new group from the fringe.

I get there a few minutes early, but others are milling about, waiting to get started. I recognize a few as people that I saw on patrol yesterday, and there are others that I know from hanging out with Christina, or from before the rebellion. I guess this is mainly a job for newcomers and the Dauntless, because I don't see anyone here that was once a part of any of the other factions.

The girl from the Council meeting is here. She gives me a small smile, then looks away as our boss begins to explain today's task.

"Okay, we've got a big group coming in today. Lots of people." Jeremy's voice cut through the morning air, all business. He is standing off to the side of the workers gathered here, at the top is a little hill where we can all see him. "Each family group is assigned to a house; they'll already know which from registering on their way in. Your job is to get them all into their homes, with all of their belongings, safely."

He begins to section us off, according to where we will be stationed along the newcomers' route and what our jobs will be. There are four main groups. The first group will serve as guides from the gates of Chicago to the neighborhood. Another group will be helping individuals find their homes, a third will be helping arrange the contents of the houses, and the last group is in charge of standing guard and controlling any outbreaks of violence. I shudder a little at this, hoping we won't have any actual fighting.

I am not assigned a section. Jeremy sends the others off, then calls a group of us over. There are about a dozen of us, and, as they all stayed, I assume Jeremy had not given them a job to do either, so he must have plans for us.

"Some of you haven't ever done this before, so I decided to put you into two of your own groups, just to watch how this works for today. Next time you'll be a part of the action." He puts me in "Group B," which I notice consists of all former Dauntless. I wonder if that was a conscious choice of Jeremy's, or if he even knew that we were from that faction. I wonder why I even notice. "Each group is headed by an experienced member who can answer any questions you may have. Tom is leading Group A. Group B, you're with Mariah."

The girl from the Council meeting gives a little wave. I wonder when she's done this before; I'd thought she was fairly new here herself.

My group and I set off. Our first stop is the registration center on the edge of Chicago, past what was formerly the Amity sector of town.

It's not too long of a trek, and when we arrive at the gates the group from the fringe is just beginning to enter the city. My group and I watch as the guides join the newcomers and begin to walk towards the heart of the city.

As this is happening, Mariah explains the routine the guides have, so we know what to do if we ever are a part of that group.

"They pick them up there, then re-explain the basic city rules, and take them to their new homes. Most of these people came from a life of poverty, so this is a big adjustment for them." She pauses, then adds, "It was for me."

I glance over at her; the way she said that last part didn't quite sound right. Something about her voice makes me think she didn't entirely mean what she said.

I shake off the feeling, and we continue to the next stage of our tour.

When we reach the empty neighborhood about to be filled, the other three groups are all at work at once. Some walk around the streets or stand in appointed positions, watching all of the activity and ensuring that everyone is safe. Others look at the cards each family has and lead them to the house that is labeled there.

Mariah explains that there are levels within the groups, and a group leader dictates individual tasks and instructions, such as where to stand or which family to assist.

"We can go see what they are doing inside the houses now. Mostly it's just rearranging and explaining - over and over again - that the house and everything inside is courtesy of the government and is completely free of cost other than the fee required for the citizenship that they acquired at registration."

We enter the nearest home, where two people - both former Dauntless - are moving in a family.

I can tell the mother and father are a young couple, but living in the fringe has aged them. They look worn out and ready for something new; I hope that life in Chicago will be what they hoped.

I squat down to say hi to their little girl. She is probably about five years old, and is looking at me shyly from behind a wall of blond hair.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Emma," she whispers, biting on her thumb.

"I'm Four. It's nice to meet you," I say, then stand back up. I wave at the little girl, nod to her parents, then return to my group to listen to Mariah.

I still can't focus, though. A new idea has formed in my mind, and I can't help thinking that I'm on to something.

**I would like to note that throughout the whole two weeks that I didn't update, not a single day went by without anyone looking at this fanfic. That surprised me, but I'm glad to know there are so many people reading this! Thanks for reading and for all of the support! If you have any ideas for where this story could go, let me know!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! I am so sorry - I said I would update at least one chapter a day, and I wasn't even close to that. I did, however, write every day - surprisingly, it took me like six days or however long it was to write 976 words (Without the A/N).**

**I forgot to say - for this story, I'm saying that the epilogue of _Allegiant_ was moved up to about four months after Tris died, and this is two months after that. Now for the chapter!**

Christina

"Bye!" I call to my mom, closing the door behind me. I'm on my way to meet Mariah at the tattoo parlor.

I'm looking forward to this. I'm thinking of getting a tattoo for Tris, but I don't know what exactly. I had the Erudite symbol tattooed on my shoulder a few months ago, for Will. He wasn't Erudite - he transferred to leave them - but I knew him for such a short time that I didn't have another symbol to remember him by.

I walk into the tattoo parlor, and Mariah isn't there yet, but Tobias is. I walk over to where he stands, leaning against the wall. I assume he's waiting for a tattoo artist to be free. I'm surprised he's here - lately he's been spending a lot of time locked inside his apartment. "What are you doing here?" I ask. He jumps a little, then turns towards me.

"Hi Christina. I was going to get a tattoo to remember Tris by." His face takes on a somewhat pained expression - even after all this time, he misses her too much to talk about her. And I don't blame him at all.

"That's what I was going to do, too. I'm actually going shopping after that with Mariah, this girl from the fringe."

"Yeah, I know her," Tobias puts in. "She was in my group moving people in yesterday." I kind of remember Zeke talking about something like that when he was explaining Tobias's job a few days ago. I didn't know Mariah worked there, too.

"You mean me?" Now it's my turn to jump. I completely missed Mariah walking into the tattoo parlor.

"Hey! Yeah, I guess you know Four from work?" I ask.

"Yeah." Mariah smiles at him, and - surprisingly - he smiles back. I'm not sure what to think of this. Tobias has been really closed off lately, and I know that even a smile, at this point, means a lot more than it normally would.

"So!" I say, breaking their little moment. "What tattoos are you guys getting?"

"I'm not sure, what do you think I should do? It's my first one," Mariah asks.

I am about to suggest something, I don't know what, when Tobias says, "If I were you, I'd make it something that reminds you of home. I mean -" He pauses, and Mariah interrupts him.

"I know what you mean. And I think I have an idea for what I'll do."

One of the tattoo artists finishes up and begins working on my tattoo, since Mariah and Tobias are each still deciding exactly what they want. I've chosen to get my tattoo for Tris on my left shoulder, opposite Will's Erudite symbol.

After I'm done, I only have to wait a few minutes for the other two to finish up.

Mariah shows me her tattoo. I gasp a little when I see what it is: on her wrist are two hands clasped in the center of a circle. The symbol for Abnegation.

I look at Mariah in disbelief, but wait for her to speak first. This is something I have learned to do since leaving Candor.

"What is it?" she asks, and I think that she honestly doesn't understand.

"Why did you get the Abnegation symbol?"

"What? I didn't know this meant anything. I just . . . I got it because it's a reminder of how everyone helped each other, in the fringe." Mariah looks down as she says this, and I think it hurts her a little to remember. But something still seems off.

Just then Tobias walks over; his tattoo is finished. "Let me see what you got!" I say, excited, but he doesn't show me his tattoo.

"It's a secret - you can see it some other time."

I let it go, and show the two of them my shoulder. On it is a raven, its wings raised in flight.

"Because, you know, she got those tattoos for her family, and because it's free, like her. Like Tris," I finish quietly.

Tobias stares at the ground, and Mariah gives me a sympathetic smile. I told her a little about Tris when we went shopping the other day.

I cover my tattoo again. "Ready to go, Mariah? There's a lot to see!"

"Sure. Want to come with us, Four?"

"No, I have something to work on," he replies, unsurprisingly. What does surprise me, though, is his next question: "Would you want to come over to my apartment, when you're done, and help me?"

I am shocked, and from the looks of it, Mariah is too. "Alright, I can do that!" She sounds partly uncertain but mostly excited.

"If you go after we shop, you guys won't have any time! You could just go now, instead. I mean if that works, of course," I say a little breathlessly, looking at Tobias.

"That's fine with me," he says.

"But Christina, what about today?" Mariah asks, and I cut her off before she can start protesting too much.

"Just go, you'll have fun! We can meet up again some other time." I'm too excited for Tobias; I can't let him wait another second for this. Mariah is helping him to finally open up. He can't miss this chance!

"Thanks Chris! You're the best!" Mariah says, giving me a hug before she leaves with Tobias.

I smile after them. I hope, for Tobias's sake, that Mariah is the one who can help him move on.

**Thank you all so much for reading! I got a Guest review asking for a chapter in Mariah's POV, so I'm considering doing chapter 8 from her POV. What do you guys think? It wouldn't give away her secrets, though - not yet!**


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